Tag Archives: Palestinian Authority

Former President Ronald Reagan famously quipped, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” The wisdom of his words has been proved over and over again domestically as we have seen government agencies turn small problems into big ones and create catastrophes where there were none previously, all at taxpayer expense, of course. Not content with domestic bumbling, our leaders are turning their attention to fixing the world and especially the Middle East…(God help us!!)

The Obama administration is delighted with the progress of “democracy” in Egypt and is intent on encouraging the process. The fact that the two major Egyptian Islamist parties have captured 62% of the latest voting doesn’t seem to worry the optimists in Washington. Didn’t you know that the Muslim Brotherhood is now a kinder, more gentle, moderate organization (secular, too!) Funny thing is that the so-called “moderate organization” has never repudiated its founding charter which says, “Allah is our objective, the Koran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our way, and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.” These are reasonable, tolerant folks with whom US negotiators can certainly hammer out a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and beyond. As I reported last week,

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi

“The Obama administration has turned to Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s leading jurist, to mediate secret negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.” This is largely “untapped talent” that the US government can utilize to fix the world!

There does seem to be one glitch in this utopian vision – and that is Israel. Those stubborn Jews just don’t seem to be willing to commit national suicide, and that’s a real problem. President Obama in May, 2011, called for Israel to undertake a “full and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces” from “occupied Palestinian lands” to what he termed “borders based on 1967 lines” – the 1949 armistice lines. Israel’s former Foreign Minister and UN ambassador Abba Eban, in 1967, referred to those lines as the “Auschwitz borders.” The country would, at its most populous places, be only nine miles wide. In making this supposedly helpful demand, the President failed to honor U.S. commitments made to Israel by George W. Bush in 2004, commitments which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.

But Bush was an “evil war-monger” and the current resident of the White House is intent on resetting the parameters of our relationship with the Muslim world (can you say dhimmitude?). Therefore we must overlook small foibles of the Palestinians – like the refusal of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, their glorification of murderous terrorists as national heroes, their attempted unity deal with Hamas, etc. And, in order to fix the Middle East, we must force Israel to sit down at the negotiating table with a bunch of savages who want to wipe them out and sign a “peace agreement” which won’t be worth the paper on which it’s written.

Speaking of peace agreements, the new Egyptian government has threatened to cancel the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of March 26, 1979. This was a land for peace deal in which Israel gave up the Sinai in exchange for peace, albeit a cold peace at best, with Egypt. Caroline Glick, in her latest blog, The Land-For-Peace Hoax, asks the question,“will the US act in accordance with its role as guarantor of the peace and demand that the new Egyptian government give Sinai back to Israel?… if the Obama administration or whatever administration is in power when Egypt abrogates the treaty does not issue such a demand, and stand behind it, and if the EU does not support the demand, the entire concept of land-for-peace will be exposed as a hoax.”

Of course it’s a hoax; it was never intended to be anything else. And the chances of real concrete assistance from the US and the rest of the Western world as suggested in Ms. Glick’s article, are pretty remote. If current attitudes toward us don’t change, when we in Israel hear the words, “We’re from the United States government and we’re here to help!” we’d be wise to run in the other direction as fast as we can go!

These words, written in 1868 by Rector Phillips Brooks of Philadelphia, have etched into our collective imagination a pastoral scene of harmony and tranquility. Angels proclaiming,…” peace, good will toward men,” shepherds watching over their flocks, the innocent babe in the manger… While that description might have fit the town of Bethlehem in the days of the birth of the Messiah, it is far from the case now. In fact, the village has morphed into an ugly concrete jungle, full of hatred and violence, especially toward Jews and Christians. The reason? Islam!

Once Christians made up more than 85 per cent of the population of Bethlehem. Yet under Jordanian rule (1948-1967) and under the Palestinians (1995-present) that figure decreased to just 12 per cent of the 60,000 inhabitants. Isn’t it interesting that when the hated Israeli “occupation” was in control of Bethlehem from 1967-1995, the Christian population remained stable and Christians predominated in local governance? What’s the difference? Under Muslim hegemony Christians and other minorities live in fear – for good reason! If they don’t behave as good dhimmis there is a heavy price to pay – maybe their heads.

An example of this phenomenon is Victor Batarseh, Christian mayor of Bethlehem. Forget making any mention of the plight of the Christians of his city in his annual Christmas address. Instead he towed the party line, calling for a boycott of Israel in order to bring them back to the negotiating table with the Palestinian Authority. Obviously there could be no allusion to the fact that Israel is the only place in the Middle East where the Christian population has grown over the last 60 years, from 40,000 in 1948 when Israel was founded to 155,000 today.

We can understand Mayor Batarseh’s unwillingness to confront the issue of Muslim persecution of Christians. He has a lot to lose. But mainstream media has knowingly been complicit in the cover-up. In the rare reports on Muslim-on-Christian violence, the accounts are framed as “ethnic clashes,” making it sound as if there is some kind of moral equivalency in the bloodletting. There is none! The fact is that whenever (throughout the history of Islam) and wherever Muslims become a majority, non-Muslims are severely persecuted.

Raymond Ibrahim, a widely published author on Islam, and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum, puts out a monthly report of Muslim Persecutions of Christians. This is definitely not light reading, but we ignore this information at our own risk. Leaders of western nations are, tragically, turning a blind eye to the danger: here and here.

So while multitudes around the world are celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, many of His followers languish in prison, are being tortured or are fleeing for their lives – if they can find a place to go, that is. The silence of the media, academia and even liberal “Christianity” is deafening. Let’s not be silent as the islamic jihad both by violent means and by stealth moves to overthrow the world.

I try very hard to keep my cool while going through the process of reading many articles each week and deciding which ones are the most relevant for that week’s newsletter. But three pieces posted on Ynet.com this Saturday nearly made me blow a fuse.

The first is ‘Israel must mend regional relations‘. At a speech given to the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “warned Israel against viewing the Arab uprisings rattling the Middle East as an excuse to enter a defensive crouch.”Panetta is encouraging Israel specifically to reach out more to Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Could it be that Mr. Panetta is deliberately ignoring the fact that Egyptian elections have assured Islamist domination in that country? According to Israel National News The Muslim Brotherhood captured more than 40% of the vote and the hardline Islamist Salafist Nour Party received 20%. According to Middle East expert Dr. David Buk’i, “Israel’s worst fears regarding its relationship with Egypt are coming true before its eyes!”

Second, Panetta exclaimed, “With full confidence that the United States is willing and capable of ensuring that Israel can safeguard its security as it takes the risks needed to pursue peace, now is the time for Israel to take bold action and to move towards a negotiated two-state solution.” Full confidence? With these reassuring words, meant to hold onto the Jewish vote back home, Mr. Panetta is obfuscating the feeble track record of the United States when it come to ensuring Israel’s security in times of crises. As P. David Hornik put it, “There’s an inglorious history of the United States and Europe leaving Israel to fend for itself against threats, sometimes even existential ones.”

Third, demanding that Israel take risks for peace and bold actions is getting old. These ultimatums have been aimed at Israel for years, yet when is the last time that you heard, “the Palestinians must take risks and bold actions for peace”? Could there be a bit of a double standard here?

Finally, Panetta saved some choice language for Israel. Asked specifically what Israel should do first (in taking bold actions), Mr. Panetta replied, “Get to the d★✗✲ table” — that is, return to negotiations. This statement totally defies all logic given that Mahmoud Abbas has done everything in his power to avoid negotiations with Israel including unilaterally going to the UN to secure Palestinian statehood.

The second article also relates to Panetta’s speech at the Saban Center: US cautions Israel against solo military op in Iran. Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem correspondent for Britain’s Telegraph, reported on a private meeting with Panetta, PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister, Ehud Barak. Panetta said that President Obama demanded an unshakable guarantee that Israel would inform the United States before taking any military action against Iran. In Mr. Blomfield’s words, “The two Israelis were notably evasive in their response, according to sources both in Israel and the United States.” This obviously does not sit well with the Obama administration, but given the existential dangers Israel is now facing, she cannot afford to depend on a “friend” who behaves like an enemy.

The third article is another reality-bender: ‘Jew-hate stems from conflict‘. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, of course! Ignoring historic Muslim hatred of Jews which dates all the way back to Muhammed himself, Howard Gutman, American ambassador to Belgium,

Howard Gutman

theorized that, “growing global anti-Semitism is linked to Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians.” He even invented a distinction between what he labels “traditional anti-Semitism” and “Muslim hatred for Jews” which hypothetically stems from the ongoing strife between Israel and the Palestinians. In his view “an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty will significantly diminish Muslim anti-Semitism.”

Gutman is a lawyer by training, is Jewish and played a major role in fundraising for the Democratic Party. He was appointed to the post by President Obama. It is clear that Mr. Gutman is only parroting the party line of the Obama administration.

The American envoy’s above speech to a group of Jewish lawyers from across Europe was poorly received. The speaker who followed Gutman, German attorney Nathan Gelbart, sharply rebuked the ambassador when he said: “The ‘Israel critic’ will never state ‘Jews go home’ but is questioning the legality of the incorporation of the State of Israel and therefore the right for the Jewish people to settle in their homeland. He will not say the Jews are the evil of the world but claim that the State of Israel is a major cause for instability and war in the region. There is no other country, no other people on this planet the ‘Israel critic’ would dedicate so much time and devotion as to the case of Israel.”

“I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more for the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” Obama said. “We don’t compromise when it comes to Israel’s security … and that will continue.”

The only attendees at that event who might have really believed the president’s words are those who get their news exclusively from The New York Times or mainstream network news. The better informed public (like you, dear reader) can draw its own conclusions. I would encourage all of you to view the latest Youtube video from the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Obama – The Anti-Israel President.

Friday, September 9. A crowd of Egyptians began demolishing the concrete wall around the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. The police did almost nothing to protect embassy personnel. Eighty diplomats and their families were evacuated and flown to Israel. Meanwhile the six Israeli staffers who remained had to be rescued by an Egyptian commando force after the “heroic resistance fighters” had taken over the embassy and trashed everything in sight. Terrible, you say? Not really…after all, Israel was the provocateur. How? They dared to put an embassy full of Jews right in the heart of Cairo!! Isn’t that enough to make any Islamist’s blood boil?

And the blood is definitely boiling on the other side of our border. On Thursday, September 15, Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharaf hinted ominously in an interview, “The Camp David agreement is not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and the case of fair peace … and we could make a change if needed.” As a result, the Egyptian ambassador to Israel, Yasser Reda, was summoned to Israel’s Foreign Ministry office. He had a little ‘splainin’ to do.

Then there’s our “good friend” Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He decided to expel the Israeli Ambassador and blame Israel for all the troubles in the world. Again, as usual, Israel was the provocateur. After all, nasty, stubborn Bibi refused to “apologize” to Erdogan for legally stopping the Turkish Mavi Marmara ship, killing nine “poor defenseless peace activists” on board. The iron pipes and clubs the activists were using to beat the Israeli soldiers were merely symbolic weapons. No need to resort to physical force; the soldiers could have simply spoken sweetly and peacefully to the raging mob surrounding them and everything would have been fine and dandy!

While some in Israel seem surprised by the deteriorating relationship with Turkey Caroline Glick reminds us, “Those Israelis who lament the slower-paced phased breakdown of the honeymoon with Turkey need to recall that it hasn’t been sweet for almost a decade, ever since Erdogan’s Islamist party’s electoral victory of 2002. That marked a strategic shift in Turkey’s agenda, and there was little Israel could do about it, short of acceding to Erdogan’s every whim.”

Evidently Israel is a constant and unparalleled provocation to the UN and its peace-loving and fair-minded constituency. On Thursday, September 22 the UN General Assembly will convene Durban III, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Durban I conference which took place in 2001 in South Africa. Ostensibly the purpose of the conference is to combat “racism” but in reality the only country to be singled out for censure, hate and vitriol is Israel. Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be a featured speaker. In 2009 addressing the Durban II conference in Geneva, Switzerland, he labeled Israel the “most cruel and repressive racist regime.” In what is most likely a preview of this year’s uplifting message, Ahmadinejad spoke with the Washington Post and referred to Zionism as “a dreadful party, a feared party.” He then claimed that the movement “was behind the First World War and the Second World War. Whenever there is a conflict or war — this party is behind it.” He also accused the United States of sacrificing its “whole population” for “the interests of a few hundred Zionists.” Many in American academia agree. Fifteen members of the Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA) were invited to a September 21 pre-conference event in Manhattan, according to the school newspaper. The meeting will reportedly allow for the students to dine and speak with Ahmadinejad. Suddenly the madman is a pop star!

Finally, in response to Israeli “provocation” (read – existence) on Friday September 23, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will go before the UN Security Council and formally request membership of a Palestinian state. He said in a speech in Ramala, “We seek to gain membership in the UN on the basis of the 1967 borders so that we could afterward return to the negotiations on a clear and internationally recognized reference.” As I have said many times before in my blogs, Abbas has purposely avoided meaningful negotiations with Israel and has planned all along to circumvent the process and go directly to the UN. Why? 1. He will never acknowledge Israel as a Jewish State. 2. The new Palestinian State will be Judenrein – free of all Jews. 3. He is insisting on the right of return for some five million “so called” displaced Palestinians to Israel. 4. His real goal is to “liberate all of Palestine,” from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean).

In my humble opinion, since Israel will be considered the “Provocateur-in-Chief” no matter what we do, we should take a stand, do what has to be done to defend ourselves and not worry about our so-called standing with the rest of the world. Americans and others who haven’t yet bowed their knee at the altar of political correctness or global jihad will stand with us.

That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

These words, written by King Solomon 3000 years ago perfectly describe the ongoing charade of the “peace process” between Israel and their Arab neighbors. History merely repeats itself; supposedly new initiatives are really not new at all. It has all been done before. Nothing is new under the sun.

The dizzying cycle is like a never-ending merry-go-round making the same circles again and again: war, truce, negotiations, Israeli concessions, agreements, accords, treaties, rejections (by Palestinians but blamed on Israel), back to war, and round and round we go. One would think that some sane world leader would assess the situation, say, “Enough already”, flip the switch shutting off the infernal carousel and bring us back to reality. What hasn’t worked in the past is doomed to failure again. But no! There is nothing new under the sun!

Author and blogger David Meir-Levi proves this point throughout his prolific writings. In my article of the week, Why Abbas Cannot Recognize Israel as a Jewish State, he shows that it is impossible for PA leader Mahmoud Abbas to ever recognize Israel as a Jewish State no matter what incentives Israel or the United States might offer him. He knows full well that such foolhardy behavior would land him on a concrete slab at the Muslim undertaker. Have you noticed that every map of “Palestine” that Abbas displays looks exactly like the entirety of Israel but with no references at all to a state called “Israel”? So much for a starting point for negotiations. We’re not talking borders here; we’re talking existence.

Now consider Meir-Levi’s two-part series, 31 Opportunities for Statehood Squandered in Favor of Genocide (part 1 and part 2). Starting with the Peel Commission report back in 1937 and tracing history for the next 74 years, he methodically explains how Israel for the most part was willing to make significant and painful concessions for peace only to be rebuffed by the Arabs. Please note – this was all before “settlements” – before “occupied territories”- yes, before all the so-called “obstacles to peace” that we hear about on a daily basis from world leaders, intellectuals and mainstream media. Unfortunately, a dumbed-down public trained to think in sound-bytes and slogans rarely stops to rationally analyze the hateful drivel that’s being fed to it.

“Having lived in Israel now for the last 12 years most of the material was familiar. But I did not know that (North Vietnamese) General Giap consulted Arafat. Here is a quote from page 28: ‘Ho’s (Ho Chi Minh) chief strategist, General Giap, made it clear to Arafat and his lieutenants that in order to succeed, they too needed to redefine the terms of their struggle. Giap’s counsel was simple but profound: the PLO needed to work in a way that concealed its real goals, permitted strategic deception, and gave the appearance of moderation: “Stop talking about annihilating Israel and instead turn your terror war into a struggle for human rights. Then you will have the American people eating out of your hand.’”

Read General Giap’s counsel (in red) to Arafat again. Not only have the American people (and especially our leaders) been eating out of the Palestinian Authority’s hands but most of the world has been doing likewise.

Ah-h-h! Summertime in the Arab Middle East. Temperatures sizzle, stores close during the heat of the day, and everyone seems to look for a shady place to nap for a couple of hours. Nothing stirs, even stray cats. In conditions like these a casual observer might reasonably surmise that there wouldn’t be enough human energy available to make trouble. Unfortunately, we’re not dealing with reasonable people – so…

For the fourth time in Egypt the gas pipeline that supplies natural gas to Israel and Jordan has been sabotaged. With “bad old Mubarak” out of the way and “pro-democracy reformers” in the ascendancy, the Arab Spring has blossomed into a long hot summer of lawlessness and violence.

Not to be outdone by their Egyptian counterparts, Palestinian terrorists fired five Kassam rockets at western Negev communities. The response – the Israel Air Force carried out air strikes against a total of six targets throughout the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday. IAF aircraft also bombed two smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza and four terrorist targets in the northern and central parts of the Hamas-controlled territory.

To the north the Syrians are still brutally killing those of their own people who dare to express dissatisfaction with the rule of President Bashar Assad. At least 32 people were killed during Friday protests throughout country. (Ever notice how Friday Muslim prayer services get people fired up to commit murder and mayhem? Hm-m-m… gives you an idea about whom they’re worshiping – hint – it’s not God). Iran, fearing for its own stability, has been actively assisting Syria in putting down the opposition, according to senior Israeli sources.

Then there’s Lebanon, the realm of Hezbollah. The summer siesta of these peaceful folk has been disturbed by the very thought of Israel developing its own off-shore natural gas reserves. Now that Israel has poured millions of shekels into exploration and mapping out the gas field, a field that apparently has enough gas to supply the entire country for the next 25 years, our friendly northern neighbors have decided that infidels like us don’t deserve a treasure like that – it’s theirs!

Don’t look for sanity on the other side of the pond either. Even without the brutal Middle Eastern sun beating down on their heads, Western leaders are delusional. Caroline Glick examines Obama’s dangerous policy of appeasement which has the potential to start a deadly conflict resulting in massive loss of life.

Speaking of delusions, there’s the Palestinian Authority’s attempt to gain statehood. Forget the fact that the PA doesn’t represent anyone, has put off elections because they’re scared to death of a Hamas takeover and so are ruling illegally. None of that is important – no – the crucial thing is to save face. Step one is to bypass negotiations with Israel because that would reveal impotence. Then find a sympathetic ear – like the Arab League – and gain their endorsement. Headline in the Jerusalem Post, July 14, reads: “PA welcomes Arab League support for UN statehood bid”. Next, using the Arab League endorsement as leverage, lobby uncommitted UN members. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Arab ministers decided to send letters to the countries that still haven’t recognized the Palestinian state asking them to do so ahead of the UN vote in September. He also expressed hope that the US would refrain from vetoing the statehood bid, noting that the Arab ministers had unanimously backed the PA plan.

If all this madness about Palestinian statehood sounds like déjà vu all over again, please read David Meir-Levi’s article, 31 Opportunities for Statehood Squandered in Favor of Genocide. This is an article that no self-respecting “progressive” journalist, politician or academic would dare to read for fear that it may actually change his views about Israel. Why risk being confused by facts when there’s dogma to be defended? Most of you are familiar with the George Santayana quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. We’re now at 31 times and counting!